Oklahoma State University Athletics
Photo by: OSU Athletics
David Taylor Talks Bronze Medal, Upcoming Season
November 07, 2024 | Cowboy Wrestling
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State head wrestling coach David Taylor met with the media Thursday in Stillwater to discuss his bronze medal at the Senior World Championships and the upcoming season opener. Here are some of his comments:
Head Coach David Taylor
On his experience at the World Championships:
"It was good. When I competed earlier in my career, I always had really good clarity. I loved to get out there and compete. Towards the end, I started to struggle a little more with my clarity. When you have achieved everything, it's sometimes hard to continue to stay hungry and focused. It was nice going into these World Championships knowing it was my last one. I started to really appreciate a lot of things that I had done in my career, but also just the little things on that trip. Warming up, lacing up your shoes, taping your shoes, just the things that you kind of take for granted when you're in it all the time. So, that was good. Spending time with Jimmy (Kennedy) and spending time with Brayden (Thompson) was great. I'm glad I competed. I think when you finish your career, not many people get to finish completely satisfied. I feel completely satisfied with what I was able to do and I'm looking forward to now move into this next chapter."
On spending time with Brayden Thompson in Albania:
"Prior to going on the trip, Brayden was pretty quiet, but (after) spending the time with him, he really opened up. It was good to spend time with him, and I think he really learned a lot. When you get an opportunity to do something like that and you aren't the sole focus, you learn so much. He obviously wasn't going to wrestle in the World Championships but he was there, he was around it. He got to see everybody. He realized everybody gets nervous, everybody warms up. He realized that everyone feels the same things that he feels before wrestling. It was really good to have him."
On starting the season next weekend:
"It's just exciting to have meetings that're surrounding around travel and competition. Obviously, the summer has been a lot of preparation to get to here. So, I think the guys are in a really good spot and have been practicing really good this week."
On 125-pounder Troy Spratley:
"Troy is a little spark plug. I think it's great to have that type of personality at (125 pounds). They're kicking off your team and it's a guy that people rally around. He just wrestles with a high pace and he's got a lot of great energy. He can score in all positions, so I'm just excited. He's going to have a pretty challenging start to the season with some good competition. I think he's definitely looking forward to that, and we're looking forward to him getting to start off strong in these dual meets."
Head Coach David Taylor
On his experience at the World Championships:
"It was good. When I competed earlier in my career, I always had really good clarity. I loved to get out there and compete. Towards the end, I started to struggle a little more with my clarity. When you have achieved everything, it's sometimes hard to continue to stay hungry and focused. It was nice going into these World Championships knowing it was my last one. I started to really appreciate a lot of things that I had done in my career, but also just the little things on that trip. Warming up, lacing up your shoes, taping your shoes, just the things that you kind of take for granted when you're in it all the time. So, that was good. Spending time with Jimmy (Kennedy) and spending time with Brayden (Thompson) was great. I'm glad I competed. I think when you finish your career, not many people get to finish completely satisfied. I feel completely satisfied with what I was able to do and I'm looking forward to now move into this next chapter."
On spending time with Brayden Thompson in Albania:
"Prior to going on the trip, Brayden was pretty quiet, but (after) spending the time with him, he really opened up. It was good to spend time with him, and I think he really learned a lot. When you get an opportunity to do something like that and you aren't the sole focus, you learn so much. He obviously wasn't going to wrestle in the World Championships but he was there, he was around it. He got to see everybody. He realized everybody gets nervous, everybody warms up. He realized that everyone feels the same things that he feels before wrestling. It was really good to have him."
On starting the season next weekend:
"It's just exciting to have meetings that're surrounding around travel and competition. Obviously, the summer has been a lot of preparation to get to here. So, I think the guys are in a really good spot and have been practicing really good this week."
On 125-pounder Troy Spratley:
"Troy is a little spark plug. I think it's great to have that type of personality at (125 pounds). They're kicking off your team and it's a guy that people rally around. He just wrestles with a high pace and he's got a lot of great energy. He can score in all positions, so I'm just excited. He's going to have a pretty challenging start to the season with some good competition. I think he's definitely looking forward to that, and we're looking forward to him getting to start off strong in these dual meets."
Players Mentioned
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